Dream Big, President Urges Harvard Graduates

Liberia Government (Monrovia)

28 May 2011

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Thursday, May 26, delivered the Commencement Address at the prestigious Harvard University in the United States, urging graduates to be fearless as they face the future, dream big and resist cynicism despite the difficulties and failures they may encounter in life.

The President, an alumna of Harvard, urged students to dream on a grand scale, and recalled that her own optimism for the future was largely because to them.

“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough,” President Johnson Sirleaf said. “If you start off with a small dream, you may not have much left when it is fulfilled because, along the way, life will task you and make demands on you. I am, however, bullish about the future of our world because of everyone in this Yard and because of those who graduated today.”

In her Address, President Johnson Sirleaf spoke of the progress Liberia has made since her election in 2005, as well as the progress Africa has made over the years, and she expressed optimism about the future of both. The Liberian President recounted efforts by her administration to reform the institutions of government, reduce international debt, attract foreign investment, and rebuild electric and water systems in the capital, Monrovia. The country, she said, has also begun rebuilding hospitals, schools, roads, and other infrastructure destroyed in 14 years of civil war.

Though much remains to be done, the Liberian President said, the results are already apparent, as the country’s economy is growing at 6 percent annually. The President spoke of an ambitious plan to “graduate Liberia from development assistance” in ten years, and have it rise to the ranks of middle-income countries by 2030. The Liberian leader said she was optimistic about the peace the country continues to enjoy, adding, “Our seven-year-olds do not hear guns and do not have to run. They can smile again.”

The changes in Liberia, the President said, reflect those reshaping much of the continent, where the era of “big man” dictatorships is coming to a close. “Sub-Saharan Africa had just three democracies in 1989, a number that grew to 23 by 2008. The region’s economy is growing at 5 percent, with a rising middle class now numbering 313 million out of a population of 1 billion.”

In some ways, President Johnson Sirleaf said, Africa has come full circle, to the time of hope and resilience the continent experienced in the first years after countries gained their independence, before the rise of militarism and sectarian violence.

“I was there in the early 1970s, a decade after the independence movement had swept across Africa. Back then, the future appeared full of endless possibilities. But I also witnessed the gradual descent into militarism, sectarian violence, and divisive ethnic politics. I witnessed our country engulfed in the fires of a civil conflict that raged for almost two decades,” the Liberian leader recalled, and added: “But I have also been blessed with the opportunity to watch and participate as the nation rises out of the ashes of war to become a force for peace in West Africa.”

Delivering the Commencement Address at Harvard’s Tercentenary Theatre, the President told graduating seniors of the challenges she faced during her journey to the presidency. Those challenges included prison, death threats, and years of exile.

“There were many opportunities to quit, to forget about the dream, yet I persisted,” the President continued, adding: “I have always maintained the conviction that my country and people are so much better than our recent history indicates. Looking back on my life, I have come to appreciate its difficult moments. I believe I am a better leader, a better person with a richer appreciation for the present because of my hopeful and resilient past.”

The President said the self-confidence, and perhaps even arrogance, she felt after graduating from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government got her into hot water with her government. Delivering a commencement address at her high school Alma Mater after returning to Liberia, the President recalled, she questioned the government’s failure to address inequities in society.

“This forced me into exile. Other similar events would follow in a life in and out of the country, in and out of jail, in and out of professional service. There were times I thought death was near, and times when the burden of standing tall by one’s convictions seemed only to result in failure. But through it all, my experience sends a strong message that failure is just as important as success,” President Sirleaf said.

In just the last decade, the Liberian President observed, technology has hastened history, increasing the speed of change and leading to transformations such as those happening in North Africa and the Middle East. However change occurs, she said, Harvard and those with ties to the University are often involved.

At Thursday’s Commencement, more than 7,200 degrees and certificates were awarded to Harvard College seniors and graduate students.

The Liberian President presented to Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust a quilt made by women of Liberia. The quilt was presented at the Honorands’ Dinner the evening before the Commencement. Harvard’s President was so moved by the gift that she had it displayed prominently during the Commencement Exercises.

The quilt features the Harvard shield and was decorated with small seashells. “They wanted something to remain that would really capture today, really capture Harvard,” President Johnson Sirleaf said of the ten women whose needlework produced the quilt, “and to say to President Faust how much they appreciated her invitation to me to speak on Commencement Day.”

The Liberian leader returned to Monrovia Friday evening, May 27.

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